Machine for hulling and polishing rice



( Model) 2 Sheets8heet 1..

L. SQ.SEAVER; MACHINE FOR HULLING AND POLISHING RICE. No. 277,947. Patented May 22,1883.

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(No Model.)

L. S. SHAVER. MAGHINB FOR HULLING AND POLISHING RIGE.

Patented May 22,1883.

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UNITED STATES PATENT (duh Ice.

LATI'MER S. SEAVER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR HULLING AND POLISHING RICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 277,947, dated May 22, 1883.

Application filed December 6, 1882. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LATIMER S. SEAVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Hulling and Polishing Rice; and I do hereby declare that the same are fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanyin g drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for hulling and polishing rice, and it is carried out asfollows, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a plan view of the machine. Fig. 2 represents a central longitudinal section on the lineA B, shown in Fig.1. Fig. 3 represents an end view, seen from B in Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 represents a cross-section on the line (J D, also shown in Fig. 1.

Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on the dilferent parts of the drawings.

In the drawings,a represents a rotary cylinder, in which the rice I), that is to be hulled and polished,is placed, intermixed with a numberot balls, 0 0, preferably made of wood or similar light material, so as to split and remove the hull from the rice without crushing the latter during the rotation of the cylinder.

at. The ends of said cylinder a are provided with hollow trunnions a and a, which'are firmly secured by means of bolts or rivets to the respective ends of said cylinder, and in an axial line with the same. Each end of the cylinder a is provided with a central perforation corresponding to the central bore of the respective hollow trunnionsa a, as shown in Fig. 2. The trunnions a a aresupported and adapted to rotate in the respective bearings d d, secured to a suitable frame-work, d, as shown. The cylinder to is set in a rotary motion by means 'of power applied to the pulley or gear-wheel e, secured to the trunnion a. Through the center of the cylinder at and its hollow trunnions a a" extends the agitatorshaft f, in such a manner as to leave an annular space, a, between it and the interior. of the respective hollow trunnions a a, as shown in Fig. 2. Within the cylinder at the agitatorshaft f is provided with a number of radial or curved wings, ff, as shown. The shaftf,

with its wingsff, is set in rotary motion by means of power appliedto the pulleyf", se-

cured to the outer end of said shaft j, which rotary fan 9 and shaft 9', which is set in a rotary motion by means of belt or cord 71., leading from the pulley f on the agitatorshaft f to the pulley g on the fan-shaft g,or in any other well-known or equivalent manner. The mouth or delivery pipe 9 of the fan-blower or exhausterg is to be. connected to a suitable conducting-pipe, as usual.

2' i are openings for introducing the unhulled rice into the cylinder (0 and removing it after being hulled and polished. During the process of hulling and polishing the rice the openings i t' are closed, each by means of a cover, 70, adapted to be temporarily secured over the openingt' by means ofscrew-bolt k and fastening-bar k, as shown on the right-hand side of Figs. 1 and 2. After the rice is hulled and polished the solid covers it are removed from the cylinder a. and the perforated covers l secured over said openings by means of screwbolt k and fastening-bar k, as shown in left hand side of said Figs. 1 and 2.

m is a suitable box or carriage located below the cylinder a, into which the hulled and polished rice is deposited as it drops out from the cylinder to through the perforated covers I.

The operation of my improved rice hulling and polishing machine is as follows: The balls 0 c are placed in the cylinder a, and also a quantity of unhulled rice, b,the mixture being about large enough to fill the cylinder a a little less than half-full, as shown in Fig. 2. The cylinder a. is then closed by means of solid covers 7c and set in rotary motion, as are the agitator-shaft f and exhaust-fan or blower g. The action of the balls 0 0 during the rotation of the cylinder to causes the hulls to be split and removed from the rice, and such hulls, being much lighter than the rice, are caused to ascend into the upper half of the cylinder a by the action of the agitator-shaft f and its wings f f, and are automatically exhausted through the hollow trunnion a" by means of the exhaust-fan or blower g and conducted" .above described.

After the rice is all hulled and polished by the action of the balls 0 c the machine is stopped and the solid covers 70 removed and the perforated covers I substituted, after which the cylinder at is again rotated to allow the hulled and polished rice to drop out through said perforated covers l into the receptacle m. The perforations in said covers lare small enough to allow the rice to drop out, but prevent the balls 0 c from passing through, said balls always remaining within said cylinder to.

When the hulled-and polished rice is all re moved from the cylinder to a new quantity is placed therein and the operation repeated, as In this mannerl produce a Very simple and effective machine for hulling and polishing rice, and one in which the hulls are automatically separated and withdrawn Witnesses ALBAN ANDREN, HENRY UHADB OURN. 

